We finally watched “On the basis of sex”, the movie about the early career of Ruth Bader Ginsberg. It was an enlightening film and generated a reaction I wonder if is common to others of my age. After watching, Cindy and I both recognized that we had lived through the era described in the movie. When you reach our age, you have experienced a lot. At the time we probably assumed we were well informed adults. Why were we so unaware of the events described? I am now aware of RBG because of the positive regard with which she is held. I have always had a vague awareness of the members of the Supreme Court, but I doubt I knew much about Ginsberg until the recent disputes over the politicization of the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ends up being just another politicized body, but this one appoints the members for life.
I was also shocked by the facts of the court case that serves as the focal point of the movie. Ginsberg takes on the establishment (always a theme I like) to support the cause of a male denied tax relief for his role in caring for an ill parent. Stating the facts of the case is a law school thing and I hope I have this right. Ginsberg was very much interested in the discrimination against women, but found this case as a great way to highlight discrimination on the basis of sex because the case involved a rare situation in which males were being discriminated against. The opposition thought a great strategy was to create this lengthy list of situations in which the law differentiated on the basis of sex arguing this was proof of the natural order of things. Of course, this strategy ended up back firing providing a road map for attacking discrimination.
The list itself was shocking to us, We were there and yet oblivious to the common discrimination that was everywhere at the time. Describing flawed beliefs and behaviors as the natural order of things and thus invisible to most was a profound way of describing problems we still have today. I am not certain the writers intended to leave viewers with this message, but if you have seen the movie or make the effort on the basis of my recommendation consider this perspective.